


Crescat Scientia

by tiltedsyllogism



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon-typical ethical ambiguity, Ethical Dilemmas, For Science!, Gen, POV First Person, Science Experiments, The Fright Zone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 20:22:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20070028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiltedsyllogism/pseuds/tiltedsyllogism
Summary: ”Ethical dilemma number, uh, sixty-three: I told Catra I wouldn’t go into Hordak’s lab. But if she never finds out, does it count? I could just pop in, grab the tool and pop out. No-one would ever know. But I would know. I shouldn’t do it. Or should I? No, I shouldn’t.”-- from S2 E3, “Signals”A transcription of Entrapta’s field notes on ethical dilemmas while in the Fright Zone.





	Crescat Scientia

Fright Zone log, continued. The technological conditions here are _fascinating._ The infrastructure is built for a level power that’s way beyond anything I could ever generate at Dryl! On the other hand, whoever designed their power grid didn’t really know what they were doing. Separate conduits for each current stream, ha! I was going to fix it, but my co-investigator, the flowery one, did say just now that it would be bad to help the Horde, because they’re the enemy. And the only reason we’re here is because they kidnapped our friends. Which is bad. So I shouldn’t do it. Or should I? Ethical dilemma number 31: do I hop back up and fix the wiring? The efficiency of the power cables really doesn’t have much to do with kidnapping anybody. But on the other hand, it’s definitely not why we’re here. I shouldn’t do it, should I? I shouldn’t. Oh, it’ll be fast. 

Ethical dilemma number, uh, 32. I seem to have misplaced the other princesses. They aren’t nearly as interested as I am in exploring the technological conditions here in the Fright Zone—but we aren’t really here for field research. At least that’s what the tall one with the sword kept saying. It would be a waste not to make notes while I’m here, but I should probably—ooh, what’s that?

Fright Zone log, continued. I’ve done some hasty reconfiguration on the bot I met in the hallway, and the results are intriguing. Ethical dilemma number 33: Would it be stealing if I took her back to Dryl with me? Hmm, I guess I won’t be taking this one. Experimentation will continue on additional subjects.

Fright Zone log, continued. Prototype 18 is my most successful yet, ha ha! I’ve been able to modify her in a number of very exciting directions by altering the workflow of her core processer and optimizing the existing design paradigms for a different set of outcomes. And this time without any explosions! But now I have another ethical dilemma! I think this is number 35? No, 34. Can I take this latest prototype back to Dryl with me, or is that stealing? Emily’s already told me she wants to come, so I think it’s probably not stealing. Though I’m not reeeeally sure the Horde cares what she wants, and they were the ones who built her. But I made her better! This is very confusing. Maybe I’ll consult with Bow. Oh right, he’s been kidnapped. 

Fright Zone log, hour 8. Ethical dilemma number 35. Emily and I became trapped behind the final set of doors to the vehicle bay. Logic dictates that we should remain as close as possible to the site where we became separated from our friends, so they can find us easily when they come back. On the other hand, it’s probably going to take them a _little_ while…. and it seems like a waste not to gather more data, while I’m here! Who knows if I’ll ever have another opportunity to observe the Fright Zone up close? But I don’t want to make things too difficult for my friends. The flowery one does seem to get annoyed easily. Maybe I’ll limit my research area to the vehicle bay. Yes, that should be just fine.

Fright Zone log, hour… 11? 12? I’m not sure. Ethical dilemma number 36. This immediate area has now been thoroughly catalogued and analyzed! Which didn’t take that long, because it’s mostly just a big empty space. There’s a lot more I could learn if I had access to a keypad terminal, I just know it, but that would require going outside my proscribed area. Have the conditions of my original decision changed because it’s been awhile? I should probably stick to my original plan. Should I? There’s so much to be learned out there.

Fright Zone log, hour 12. Or maybe 13. Ethical dilemma number 37. There’s a lot more activity here than there was over by the vehicle bay. I’m starting to wonder if there’s a chance that Emily and I will get caught. And that would be _terrible!_ What would happen to my notes?!? They’d probably just throw them away! All of the infrastructure design is so inconsistent here, I don’t think there’s anyone keeping track at all. Is it better to preserve the notes I’ve got, or should I explore further and risk losing them?

Fright Zone log, continued. Further exploration was definitely the right choice! The hardware that the Horde has amassed here is _incredible_. Present location appears to be a junk room of some kind, but they’ve got enough _lots_ of interesting items here. Ethical dilemma number 38: would it be stealing to take stuff nobody else here wants? It probably is. But what if they want it later? I guess I shouldn’t. Oh, but I really want to. No, I’m not going to take anything. Almost anything.

Ethical dilemma number 39: There are some really intriguing old data cards down at the bottom of this junk heap. Environmental evidence suggests nobody’s looked at them for at least ten years. It’s definitely not stealing if the person who owns the thing you’re taking doesn’t even remember it exists, right?

I’ve found what appears to be the mainframe for the Horde’s physical combat training arena. Setup includes holograms of princesses superimposed on combat bots… at least I think they’re supposed to be princesses, that’s how the dataset is labeled. Some minor updates could give them a much better working concept of what a princess is. But should I? Ethical dilemma number 40: improving the princess prototype in this training simulation would improve the quality of the simulation itself, but it _could_ also mean interfering with someone else’s experimental protocol. I should leave it alone. Should I? Yes I should. The integrity of the research environment is paramount! Or could I just…? No. 

Fright Zone log. I’m getting hungry, but most of the food I’ve found is unappealingly large. Exception: the cadets’ barracks. One of the cadets has a _treasure trove_ of adorable snacks under his bunk! It would be wrong to steal his treats, I know it would. But on the other hand, I’m _very_ hungry. 

Fright Zone log, continued. Ethical dilemma number 42. There’s _lots_ more to explore here, but I’m beginning to worry that my friends will get back to the vehicle bay before I do. Should I go back now, so they can find me easily? I should. None of them are very good at coping with uncertainty.

Fright Zone log: The Fright Zone has a tall one of its own! Initial observation suggests that this one is tall all the time, not just when she interfaces with First Ones tech. I wonder what I could learn by disassembling her! A comparison study would be ideal, of course, but that won’t be possible, since the sparkle princess wouldn’t let me study the other tall one up close. It seems like the feline one would probably give permission, if I caught her in the right mood—but I’m not sure that counts. Or does it? I don’t know! It’s another ethical dilemma! There have been so many of those here! I can’t remember, is this number 43? 44? Definitely 43. Oh, also I’ve been captured.

Ethical dilemma number 44: Am I supposed to tell my captors that their handcuffs don’t really work?

Ethical dilemma number 45. Well, more like an ethical, uh, mishap. The catlike one who was interrogating me did say specifically that I couldn’t have the electrical charge rod weapon thingy, but then I took it anyhow, when she wasn’t looking. That’s not really wrong, though, is it? She was using it to threaten me. At least, I think she was. No, it’s still wrong. I should give it back the next time she comes in here.

Ethical dilemma number 46: Should I still be pretending that I’m a prisoner? The feline girl and the tall one keep asking me questions about my research, but it’s very inefficient to have to put the handcuff thingies back on every time they want to talk to me.

Ethical dilemma number 47: The tall one left behind a box of crackers approximately 12 minutes ago. No, 13. How long do I have to wait before I can eat them?

Fright Zone log. The materials here really are amazing! Maybe they’ll let me take some supplies back to Dryl to upgrade my bots. Or maybe I should just plan to get rid of them and start from scratch, based on what I’ve learned from working with Emily. Hmm. Ethical dilemma number 48: Would it be irresponsible to abandon my own research trajectory on the basis of my discoveries here? It does seem awfully wasteful of the research and building I’ve done in my lab at home. On the other hand, a complete overhaul might be more efficient than trying to integrate my new findings into the present system. I’ll have to revisit this question when I get back to Dryl.

Ethical dilemma number 49. Sample acquisition. The Horde tall one told me I wasn’t allowed to touch her tail or take any of her venom. On the other hand, she seems very easily confused and distracted, especially by the feline one. Maybe I could do it without her noticing. Would that be wrong? The question remains theoretical for the present. Further observational data may be warranted.

Update: the Tall One with the tail is definitely organic! At least, I’ve never seen a bot cry like that. Ethical dilemma number 50: do I tell her that I’ve noticed? People seem to have a lot of feelings about whether or not you’re supposed to do that, but they’re not always the same feelings. 

Ethical dilemma number 51: I’ve been instructed to use the hallways rather than the air ducts. Hmm.

Fright Zone log, hour 84. Do I need to keep saying “Fright Zone”? A conscientious scientist always keeps careful records of where she is when she makes discoveries in the field. But is this still the field? I guess I might be staying for awhile. 

Ethical dilemma number 53. 52? 53. Equipment supply problems are ongoing. I’ve been returning all these tools to the places I’ve found them—well, at least some of the time—but it’s an awful lot of trouble. And some of the ones I need the most frequently don’t seem to get used at all by anyone else! It’s not really stealing if I keep them just a bit longer, right? 

Ethical dilemma number 54: Scorpia’s been bringing me meals ever the other one left with my signal map, but I’m still feeling the need for some tiny snacks. Do I raid the stash in the barracks again? On the one hand, I’m not hungry the way I was the last time. On the other hand, I am on the trail of something _big._ Science is hungry work!

Ethical dilemma number 55: It’s not really stealing if I’m just taking something from one room and moving it to another room, right?

Catra has brought back an undamaged data crystal! It is _completely preserved,_ ha ha! My analysis is still in the preliminary stages, but already the results are _incredible_! There’s more information here about First Ones systems structure than I have ever seen before! Some of the code is locked, and I’ll need to crack that to get the complete picture, but these early findings support my theory that magic is an integrated part of the First Ones’ planetary grid! I can’t _wait_ to tell Catra and Scorpia. Although, ethical dilemma: the security protocols on the locked data are encoded with some kind of warning. It’s hard to know for sure without seeing what’s behind them, but it appears that the data they contain could potentially be used to permanently alter Etheria’s regulatory patterns and destroy the conditions for life as we know it. Which would be interesting, but mostly kind of bad. It would be bad, right? That’s probably why the data is so heavily locked down. On the other hand, there’s no way to know until I see it for myself. 

Ethical dilemma number 57: Some violence seems to be taking place while we hook up all the machinery to the Black Garnet. Should I intervene? On the one hand, this seems like some sort of personal business between the feline person and the floaty one in the mask. On the other hand, all of this running and jumping and magic-zapping could damage the equipment!! Oh, never mind, it’s over.

Ethical dilemma number 58, pursuant to the sample acquisition dilemma above. Further observation of the tall one with the tail – Scorpia – has led to the conclusion that yes, she probably would notice me sticking a syringe into her tail. _However._ Subject in question is also highly excitable, and could probably be provoked to release some venom deliberately. That would also give me the chance to catalogue its effects!! All the same, she did strongly imply that she didn’t want me studying her biological material. Does it still count as hers, though, if she’s given it away like that? Does she get to stand in the way of science??? Well, I guess she does, at least until she secretes some more. Some persuasion tactics may be in order here, now that we’re friends. Are we friends? I think we are. If that’s a thing they do in the Fright Zone.

Ethical dilemma number 59: Catra’s proposal for stabilizing the new balance of the planetary grid is intriguing, but I’m starting to wonder whether this is kind of permanent reconfiguration isn’t a _little_ bit like what those security warnings in the data crystal were about. What I really need is another cache of First Ones data, so I can learn more about Etheria’s planetary protocols. Assuming that data is available. But it might not be! And I don’t know when these experimental conditions will be available again! I should definitely keep going.

Ethical dilemma number 60: Resource management. Hordak has ordered deployment all four EKS models into the Whispering Woods to track down that stash of First Ones tech. I could probably convince Catra to hold two of them back for later, just in case. That’s all the First Ones tech we have right now. But how are we going to get more, unless we go looking?

Ethical dilemma number 61. Subject: myself. Self-observation suggests that I might be becoming a _little_ over-invested in my current prototype. Instead of taking notes on how the EKS models performed in their first field test, I got all upset. They got destroyed, and I couldn’t even watch! So that’s bad. Dispassionate observation is a vital part of the scientific process! I’ve got to keep in mind that caring too much about one part of my research can compromise the scientific integrity of my work and findings.

Ethical dilemma number 62: should I be figuring out a way to share my notes? Bow did seem intrigued the other day about my findings about the Black Garnet. I’d like to find a way to share my research. Especially since Bow has access to the Moonstone at Brightmoon and can conduct further studies of his own! On the other hand, I’m pretty sure Catra won’t want me sharing notes with the Rebellion, since that’s who the Horde is fighting. I _could_ share them without telling Catra… but she’s the one who got me access to the Black Garnet. I wouldn’t be able to continue my own experiments if she took it away.

Emily agrees that this question is a tricky one. Well, no need to decide just yet! I’m still in the early stages of my research. I’ll have much more interesting progress notes to share later on! It seems like I’ll be here for a long time.


End file.
